Dürer meets data at Burda

Big data meets Albrecht Dürer and co.: 50 art historians and computer scientists from 15 different countries came together at Burda in Munich to develop digital projects using open art history data. New applications – such as visualisations and apps – were developed during the interdisciplinary “Coding Dürer” hackathon at the University of Munich.

Iconic turn

Digitalisation networks people all over the world and enables them to exchange knowledge and ideas. The mass of data grows every minute, and images play an important role in this data, overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers in a development also known as “iconic turn”.

This is where the participants in “Coding Dürer” began their work. How can art historians, who are supposed to be tech-averse, convert their existing treasure trove of data into innovative digital offerings and make them accessible to all users? After five days of work, the project group presented their answers to this question.

Dialogue with technology

Among other things, the groups produced a chatbot, a text-based dialogue system with which (for example) museum visitors can engage and talk about the artwork they are currently contemplating.

In Picasso’s footsteps

Pictures by great painters often change hands many times before ending up in museums. The “Tracing Picasso” project group used visualisations to trace the eventful history of Picasso’s works. The clear graphics aim to provide a deeper understanding of Picasso’s enormous influence on 20th-century arts and illustrate his influence in Europe and America.

“Art and successful digital brands like Xing have a long tradition at Burda, which is why we were particularly happy to see the techies and art historians of ‘Coding Dürer’ at the Burda boot camp.”

Natalia Karbasova, Head of Burda Bootcamp

An overview of other fascinating projects developed at “Coding Dürer” is provided here.